evan47 Posted November 10, 2021 Share Posted November 10, 2021 Someone local to me is selling a 2004 Japanese Fender Jazz bass 70s style. 3 bolt neck, lake placid blue with matching headstock rosewood board with rectangular inlay and binding for £850 in ex condition. Just how good are they and is the price a good deal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted November 10, 2021 Share Posted November 10, 2021 Japanese Fenders now seem to go for around £750 to £950 so it`s a decent price and that one has a nice sounding spec. And who could resist a lake placid blue with matching headstock. Yummy! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted November 10, 2021 Share Posted November 10, 2021 Sounds good to me and lake placid blue is a great colour, any pictures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted November 10, 2021 Share Posted November 10, 2021 The necks on Japanese Fenders are very nice, def worth trying out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueMoon Posted November 10, 2021 Share Posted November 10, 2021 Every example I've owned or played has been consistently good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moving Pictures Posted November 10, 2021 Share Posted November 10, 2021 Generally speaking MIJ are a low risk purchase. The ones I owned have been wonderful. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueMoon Posted November 11, 2021 Share Posted November 11, 2021 If there is a slight weakness - and this might be a personal choice - check out the pickups. Some folks exchange MIJ/CIJ Fender pickups citing "thin" sound and/or hum. I've never found it a problem aside from an Aerodyne Jazz, which is a PJ configuration and hum from the bridge p.u. is expected. It might help you if negotiating a deal to check this out if you get chance to demo the instrument. Good luck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wylie Posted November 11, 2021 Share Posted November 11, 2021 (edited) Should have said: My Crafted in Japan Geddy Lee is fabulous in every way. Not a 70s though, much newer. Edited November 13, 2021 by Wylie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted November 11, 2021 Share Posted November 11, 2021 (edited) Sounds like a Japan Non Export. Does it have 70s spacing pickups.? I owned one and it was awsome. Marcus Miller tone big time. Edited November 11, 2021 by bubinga5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Browning Posted November 12, 2021 Share Posted November 12, 2021 (edited) 21 hours ago, BlueMoon said: If there is a slight weakness - and this might be a personal choice - check out the pickups. Some folks exchange MIJ/CIJ Fender pickups citing "thin" sound and/or hum. I've never found it a problem aside from an Aerodyne Jazz, which is a PJ configuration and hum from the bridge p.u. is expected. It might help you if negotiating a deal to check this out if you get chance to demo the instrument. Good luck. This might be due to which model. All used Japanese pickups, but the models with the US suffix had US spec pickups. Not hugely sure how to tell them apart but I have a hunch that the machine heads are an indicator. I think the US models had the large plate machine heads. Someone correct me (and educate me too) if I'm wrong. Although a Precision player, I have owned several JP basses and every one has been excellent. Very consistent QC. Edited November 12, 2021 by Steve Browning 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duarte Posted November 12, 2021 Share Posted November 12, 2021 Buy it and show us pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon. Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 (edited) Pretty sure that model / colour combo was very limited run, and restricted to the Japanese market only. As others have said, the quality is nearly universally good. I've had a couple and they are great. Always wanted the lake placid blue, especially if it's the Old Lake Placid Blue shade. Pics required! Edited November 13, 2021 by Simon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 (edited) If you've got a Japanese 70's Jazz in Lake Placid Blue with matching headstock, blocks and binding and it doesn't work out... you are the problem. Edited November 13, 2021 by Doctor J 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyJ Posted November 15, 2021 Share Posted November 15, 2021 (edited) On 10/11/2021 at 18:49, evan47 said: Someone local to me is selling a 2004 Japanese Fender Jazz bass 70s style. 3 bolt neck, lake placid blue with matching headstock rosewood board with rectangular inlay and binding for £850 in ex condition. Just how good are they and is the price a good deal? I think what you're describing is the JB75-US/FC, which was a Japanese domestic market only-model and a bit of a limited edition based on the regular JB75-US. Rather than an ash body, the FC has an alder body. The colour is Old Lake Placid Blue (OLB) and is unique to the Japanese models. They come stock with Fender USA 70's RI pickups and excellent hardware. My only complaint was with the stock potentiometers, they were a rather on/off-job on my lefty (but that may have been due to reverse-wiring standard righty logarithmic pots instead of mounting reverse-log pots. I have since sorted this on mine). I have a regular JB75-US from this era (I think it's a 2003) and I love it. It's heavy (mine is ash) and the neck has the appropriate 70's style U-shape so it's fairly thick but narrow at the nut. I love mine! I did add a few modifications though: Badass II bridge; Hipshot X-tender, and while I was at it I changed the other 3 tuners to the same model Hipshot; MEC reverse log pots and a De Gier / VanderKley FatBoost. I had a battery box routed in the back, originally to mount an Audere JZ3D preamp, but I hated the Audere and never quite got it to sound the way I wanted. So back to passive it went, but with a switchable 6dB bass boost. Here's mine, before the preamp was added: Edited November 15, 2021 by LeftyJ a word 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pow_22 Posted November 15, 2021 Share Posted November 15, 2021 Absolutely love mine. Its the first of many jazzes that ive really liked (ive always been a P bass man). Not dated mine yet but think its mid 90’s. Quite heavy but tone for days. Came with some weird active preamp so i ripped that all out and returned it to standard wiring with some Wizard 84 pickups and now she thumps and growls with the fender flats on her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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